


The Darkness Inside

by Izzoso



Series: The Darkness Inside [1]
Category: Wild Kratts
Genre: Animal Abuse (not graphic), Dark Martin, I like seeing characters get hurt, I really struggle with Krattcest, Mind Control, Multi, The brothers have a very 'close' relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-01 05:30:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10915305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzoso/pseuds/Izzoso
Summary: After 'Flight of the Draco' Donita is feeling spurned and vengeful. She wants Martin back and this time she'll make sure he never leaves her again.





	1. Chapter 1

Donita never quite recovered from the Wild Kratts team messing up her Flying Draco fashion show. She had parked her jet in the Indonesian rain forest, and spent the majority of her time moping around or drawing in her sketch book. 

“Oh Dabio, I just can’t stop thinking about him.” She growled as she balled up another piece of paper and threw it on the ground. She furiously sketched out another outfit, and sighed. “The way he moved; it was graceful like a cat, and the way the clothes draped his body so perfectly!”

“Your new outfit looks really good on him!” Dabio nodded, looking over her shoulder.

Donita scowled at the drawing in her hand. Martin Kratts stupid face looked back at her, smugly, like he often did when he ruined her plans. She had drawn him in an elegant frock made of white feathers, and a bird perched artistically on his head. No matter what she sketched, the figures always seemed to turn into him. She couldn’t decide whether she wanted to scream and pull out her hair, or crawl to him and beg him to model for her again. This was all about fashion she told herself.

This was all Chris Kratts fault. If he hadn’t interfered all those times, she could still have Martin here with her now. If she could find some way to separate the brothers, then she could keep him forever. She imagined all the different parties she could drag him to, the outfits she could design and have him model… no more loneliness. She would never have to spend another moment alone again. Sure she had Dabio, but he was more like a pet than anything. 

She scowled. Yes, it was all Chris Kratts fault. She wanted to see this dream come true, she decided as she traced the drawing with her finger. Martin would be hers, and she would never let him be taken from her ever again.

-

It was early summer in India, which meant that it was hot and humid. The temperature was well over 40 degrees and the scorching sun made it impossible to go out in the afternoon. Almost impossible. The two Kratt brothers couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go exploring as soon as the Tortuga had landed. They were currently sitting in the shade of a tree observing a herd of almost 50 Blackbuck Antelope grazing a few hundred metres away. 

“I just love their twisted horns. Imagine having a pair of those on your head.” Martin smiled, putting his fingers up to resemble horns. 

Chris laughed and crossed his arms. “You forget, I know exactly what it’s like to wear antelope horns on my head. I have a pronghorn creature power disk!” He pulled out his disk container and rifled through it until he found it. “I bet we could talk Aviva into making some upgrades to it?”

“Sorry Bro, we have to be extra selective with our creature powers today. Koki said the Tortuga was running low on power, so we have to conserve energy until we can refuel. Besides, I’m still holding out hope we can run into a Bengal Tiger, or maybe a Cobra!” Martin moved his head side to side and then suddenly jumped on Chris and reared back, about to bite. Chris laughed and shoved his brother off. He then put his fingers up like horns, and pawed at the ground with his foot. “Don’t give up on the Blackbuck so soon, they might not be as stereotypically cool as some predators, but I bet they have some really cool creature powers!”

Martin put on a mischievous grin. “Oh yes, I don’t doubt that. I’m sure they are super-fast, and I wouldn’t want to mess with those horns… but can those creature powers stand up to Bengal Tiger strength?” He sat on his heels and pounced, emitting a low growl. The two brothers wrestled a bit before falling on top each other, panting. It was too hot for horse play today. 

“I’m tempted to take my Creature Power Suit off, but then I might miss the opportunity to prove to you how great antelope are.” Chris smiled. Martin smiled back and reached for his brother’s vest. 

Suddenly the great herd was spooked by something and started rampaging. The brothers were safe from where they watched, but scrambled to stand up and see what the excitement was. Chris couldn’t help pointing out just how fast they ran, Martin rolled his eyes. It was then they saw what had spooked the herd. A Zachbot. And it looked like it was herding them towards an outcrop where they would be trapped.

“It’s too hot for this.” Martin mumbled, pulling out his Creature Pod. “Come in Wild Kratts. We’ve just sighted a Zachbot, and it’s herding the antelope into a trap.”

“What is Zach up to this time?” Aviva sighed. “We unfortunately can’t move the Tortuga at the moment. Koki is running some diagnostics, so we’re grounded until they’re done. I can still program a creature power though, if you need.”

Martin ignored his brother’s grin and looked over to the herd. The Zachbot had cornered them in the outcrop and was blocking them in. A shadow passed over them as Zach’s jet flew towards the trapped animals.  
“We need to get down there and see what’s happening. Hang tight and we’ll let you know!” 

The brothers didn’t bother with stealth. They hopped in the Createrra and tore down the hill. Up close, they could see the Zachbots herding the group into the black jet, while Zach stood outside watching. He casually looked over his shoulder and threw the boys a smirk as they pulled up.

“Took you long enough, Wild Rats.” He provoked. “I already have the majority of the animals on the jet, undergoing their transformation.”

Martin had to hold Chris back when Zach turned around and showed them one of the Blackbuck horns in his hand, freshly cut off. It looked like it had been sawed cleanly off, but it slightly glistened in the sun, as though there might have been blood on it. Zach grinned and brandished the horn as he spoke. “To be honest, I don’t really know what I plan to do with these yet, but I’m sure it will come to me in due time.”

“Dammit it Zach, the Blackbucks belong free and-“ Chris started before being grabbed from behind by a Zachbot. Martin tried to dodge, but was easily grabbed as well. On second thought, perhaps running head first into a poaching incident wasn’t the smartest thing to do. They were so used to winning against Zach it made them a little over confident though.

“Yes yes, I’ve heard your catchphrase before. You would think that after all this time you wouldn’t bother lecturing me.” Zach handed the horn off to one of his robots and wiped his hands on his pants. Definitely blood. “Really I just needed to get both of your attention. I could care less about these dumb animals. I’ll probably just turn them into glue.”

Both brothers saw red and pulled at their restraints. Chris managed to slip free and lunged at Zach. 

“Zachbots, subdue him!” Chris was immediately swarmed by the robots, blocking Zach from his path. Martin cried out for his brother but there was nothing he could do. One of them twisted Chris’s arms painfully behind his back, while another one punched him hard in the gut. A punch to his face finally subdued him, just as Zach had requested. Blood from a deep cut on his face dripped down his cheek and on to his shirt. Chris hung limply in the Zachbots arms, and Martin stared in shock. This wasn’t like Zach. He had never threatened to kill the animals he captured, nor was he ever this violent. He needed to help Chris who didn’t look so good. The strength of a robotic punch could have easily done some internal damage. He looked pale and it made the blood on his face stand out.

“Ensure they can’t use their power suits either.” The brothers could do nothing but watch as both of their vests were cracked. 

“What do you want Zach? If you didn’t even want the animals for some stupid invention of yours, what is your end game?” Martin growled. 

“Oh good, let’s get to my evil plan and finish this up. I’m sweating like a dog out here.” He replied as he wiped the sweat off his brow. “My services have been contracted to kidnap you. Like I said before, these animals were just used to lure you out. I figured I might as well make the most of the situation.”

“What? Who contracted you?” 

“You’ll find out soon enough. Now Zachbots, bring him on board. If you struggle in any way, Green Guy here will pay the consequences. Understood?” Zach turned back towards his jet. Martin locked eyes with his brother. Chris looked determined and gave him a quick nod. The brothers were so close that they could almost communicate without speaking. The nod was his way of saying he was fine and he would come after Martin as soon as he was free. Martin gave him a nod of his own, letting him know that he understood, and that he would work on freeing the animals from inside. Before the Zachbot dragged him away, he gave Chris a sad smile. Today had been going so well before this mess.

Zach waited for him on the ramp and leaned in close. “I’m getting paid very well for your safe delivery. Not that I need the money, but with you both out of the way, I can finally get some of my plans started without worrying that you’ll shut them down.”  
“The others will find me, Zach. You have to know that.”

“Oh, I do. But I’ll have delivered you long before that and it will no longer be my problem. Let’s just make sure they don’t find you too soon.” He confiscated both of their creature pods and smashed them on the ground. Then finally gave one last order before turning further in to the ship: “Zachbots, make sure Green Guy won’t be able to follow us.”

“No… No! You said if I came without fight you would let him go!” Martin strained against the Zachbot holding him. He watched as two other Zachbots closed in on Chris. He felt like a caged animal. Panic and anger clawed at his insides, his wrists were being rubbed raw as he pulled at his restraints. 

“I never said that.” Zach put his hands on his hips and laughed. “Now come, I have a nice cell for you where I once housed your brother!”

“CHRIS!” Martin cried as he was dragged away. The last thing he saw before the door closed was Chris staring at him, wide eyed, as one of the Zachbots pulled its arm back, ready to strike.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone is restless in the Tortuga. It’s been too long since they last spoke with the brothers, and now neither of them are answering their Creature Pods. Aviva paces the room while Jimmy rocks in a chair, neither of them are up for any conversation. When Koki finally finishes the diagnostics, she meets the team in the control room. 

“The Tortuga took a beating on our last adventure, so it’s not running at optimal strength. I’d like to work on it further, but we need to find the brothers first. Just go easy on the old girl if we can help it.”

“We still can’t get a hold of them. I’m starting to think they lost or wrecked their creature pods, as usual. With the Tortuga up and running we can at least find their last location before we lost contact.” Aviva sat at the computer and booted up a program. “I will also be able to track them as soon as they activate a creature power.”

The brothers’ last communication with them shows a location only a few miles from where they were parked. Jimmy punches in the coordinates and picks the Tortuga up. From the air, they search around the area, but it’s hard not to miss where the action happened. They quickly land and waste no time running outside into the carnage.

-

Chris was unceremoniously dumped on the ground once the Zachbots were done with him. His body throbbed and the heat wasn’t helping. He had to help Martin though, he couldn’t just lay here. And he had no idea how long he had been laying there. Wheezing, he pushed himself on to his hands and knees, and fought the urge to puke. Everything ached, but he managed to sit back on his heels. It was then he got a good look at his surroundings. 

At least a dozen dead blackbucks lay on the ground around him. Zach had beheaded these ones and now their blood slowly trickled out of the neck stumps towards him. Chris gagged and brought up his breakfast. He dry heaved for bit once there was nothing left inside, and his ribs and ab muscles screamed.

“No, no, no…” He gasped for air. What had Zach done! How could he and Martin have failed these animals so horrifically? And if Zach was willing to do this to these animals, what would he do to Martin? Anxiety and panic set in, and he had to sit back down and close his eyes to try and even out his breathing. The metallic scent of the blood wasn’t helping him at all.

He was the planning brother, he told himself, and he just needed to come up with a plan. First he had to get back to the Tortuga and get help. Together they would be able to come up with an idea of where Zach was, or where he was taking Martin. He knew there was nothing he could do for these blackbucks, so he would have to leave them behind. At least the carnivores and scavengers would have a meal tonight.

Chris tried to stand up, only to cry out and crumple to the ground in pain. The Zachbots had either broken his ankle, or he had sprained it when they dropped him. The panic was starting to claw at his chest, and he let out an anguished sob. He had to help Martin. This thought became his mantra as he dragged himself to the Createrra, only to discover the tires had been slashed.

He couldn’t stop the manic laughter that bubbled to the surface. He leaned against the shady side of the vehicle and laughed to himself at the absurdity of the situation, and how Zach was finally doing everything right. He laughed until they turned into sobs, and then he put his head in his hands and tried to think of what Martin would do.

-

Chris didn’t realize he had passed out until he woke up on the Tortuga. He was laying down on an uncomfortable surface, which if he had to guess, was probably the table in the first aid room. When he opened his eyes the room was spinning and he let out a groan.

“Hold still Chris, we’ve got you. We’re trying to patch you up.” He could feel someone wrapping something around his ankle, and someone else was giving his face stitches. If it was bad enough to get stitches, it would scar. He’d be a guy with a face scar. Chris groaned again.

His thoughts went out to Martin again, and he tried to sit up. 

“Seriously, Chris, we’re trying to help.” Aviva’s annoyed voice warned him as he was pushed back down. 

“I need to help Martin.” He clenched his eyes tight, both from the pain of someone prodding his bruised ribs, and from the fear for his kidnapped brother. “Zach took him. Said he was contracted by someone to kidnap him. And the blackbucks…. Oh god, Zach… he-“

“We know Chris, we saw them when we landed. I’m sorry… we can’t believe Zach would do something like that.” Aviva replied, getting progressively angrier. “He needs to pay for what he’s done.”

“First we need to find Martin. Where could Zach be taking him?” Koki added. She finished wrapping the bandage around his ankle and then pinned it down. 

Chris took a moment to take stock of all his damage. Sprained ankle, bruised ribs, probably a bruised face, a large cut on his face, and finally a concussion, or so he assumed. The room still spun slightly, and he was feeling slightly nauseous with a splitting headache.

“I feel awful. Zach set him bots on me. Martin tried to stop it by going peacefully with Zach, but he was tricked.” Chris clenched his hands, which also seemed to hurt somehow. “Is there any way to track Zach? Or maybe even Martin? He destroyed our creature pods…” 

“No, but we can reach out to all the Wild Kratts Kids to be on the lookout for Zach’s jet, and if Martin somehow manages to use his creature power suit, we’ll be able to pinpoint his location then.”

“So we just sit wait, hoping that someone sees something?” Chris asked, feeling both angry and defeated. “Zach won’t be found easily this time.”

“I’m sorry Chris, it’s the best we can do right now.” Aviva whispered. 

After he was done being patched up, Chris went to his and Martins room. The rest of the team were going to try to figure out how they could track Zach, and told him to go rest. He couldn’t argue with them, he was so exhausted and sore he would be no use to them at this point. He had been so hopeful that they would be on the move already, on their way to find Martin. They were like a sailboat with no wind. It was crushing him to know they were so impotent at the moment.

He laid on Martins bed and breathed in his brother’s scent. His last thought before he fell asleep was of what he would do to Zach when he got his hands on him, and what he would do to Martin as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Martin was a wreck. He could think only of Chris as he sat in the barren cell, thinking about how he had repeatedly let him down. First, Zach had kidnapped him and used a decoy to fool everyone, Martin included. Ironically he now sat in the same cell that his younger brother sat in, not too long ago. And now… well, who knew how well the Zachbots had ‘taken care’ of him. How was he? Where was he now? He couldn’t stop imagining the worst scenarios. Man, he sucked as an older brother. He didn’t even care what happened to himself at this point…

Although he couldn’t help wondering who would want him so badly they would use Zach to kidnap him? Usually it was a package deal, him and Chris were not liked by a lot of poachers and animal abusers… but just him?

He had yelled and fought and even begged Zach to tell him what was going on, how was Chris, and to let him go, but the inventor simply ignored him. He had paced the cell and pulled at the bars, but there was no escape. Finally he resigned himself to sit in the corner and wait. 

The worst part of the whole situation was that not only was he unable to help himself or Chris, but he was fairly sure the remainder of the blackbucks on board were dead. Martin had listened to the sound of their panicked screams for the first hour of the trip, and then it got very quiet. He felt sick, and it only made him more worried for Chris.

It wasn’t a long flight, but Martin was exhausted by the time they landed. He didn’t even put up a fight when Zach entered and had the Zachbots restrain him. He only glared at the inventor.

“I get it, Blue Boy. You want to strangle me. Soon, you’ll be shaking my hand and thanking me. Green Guy and the rest of your pathetic team were holding you down.” Zach smiled. “To be honest, I like you the best, I think. She made a good choice picking you.”

She? Well, at least he knew the gender of his kidnapper. Zach was right about him wanting to wrap his hands around his neck though. He gave a quick jerk towards him, but the bots held him tight. He at least managed to make Zach jump, which was satisfying.

As soon as he was walked out of the black jet, his heart dropped. He was surrounded by the Indonesian Rainforest, and there, a few hundred metres away was a familiar pink jet. Donita was the person who contracted Zach to kidnap him? They had seen her here, in this same forest, only a few weeks ago, when they rescued the Dracos and foiled her fashion show. Was this an act of revenge? He was too busy contemplating the revelation that he didn’t immediately follow Zach as he disembarked. The Zachbot holding him twisted his arm hard and pushed him forward. These damn robots had obviously been reprogrammed to actually work for once. When they reached the other jet, the door opened and he was shoved inside. In to waiting arms.

“Oh Martino, how I’ve missed you!” Donita pressed herself up against him. She traced her hands up his chest and cupped his face. When she leaned in for a kiss, he jerked back. This was not what he was expecting.

“What do you think you’re doing? What the hell is going on?” All the pent up anger from the morning burst out. He fought against the Zachbot, which to his surprise released him and backed away.

“I asked Zach to bring you to me. You’re going to stay with me and be my personal muse. You’ll model for me, use your animal knowledge to help me design new fashion lines, but most of all, I want your personal company.” She gave him a predatory grin and winked.

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll do any of that.” Martin crossed his arms. 

“Oh, I think you’ll do exactly what I tell you to do, and you’ll do it very willingly.” She smiled as she pulled out her remote control and activated a pose beam over him. 

“This didn’t work last time, Donita. Chris and the others will find me and put a stop to whatever harebrained scheme you’ve come up with this time.”

“Not this time, Wild Rat.” Zach climbed up on a stool and started tinkering with the floating sphere that controlled the pose beam. “Donita hired the very best inventor to make some modifications to her pose beam. This will only take a moment.”

Martin hated to admit it, but Zach was actually half-decent at inventing. There was a pretty good chance that whatever he was currently doing to modify the machine might actually work. He was right that Donita wanted revenge, but this was a very personal revenge aimed solely at him. Not that he wanted any further harm to come to Chris, he couldn’t help wonder why he hadn’t been targeted as well? He couldn’t move, so he was forced to watch and wait. Whatever happened, Chris would come. He had to.

“Alright, that should do it. Give it a try.” Zach said to Donita as he hopped off the stool.

She pressed a button and for a moment it seemed as though Zach hadn’t succeeded in whatever he had tried to do. Suddenly the light from the pose beam started to feel thicker, if that were possible. It pressed in on him, and he could taste a metallic taste in his mouth. Soon he’s having trouble pulling enough air into his lungs. Martin eventually falls to his hands and knees gasping. Were they trying to suffocate him? His fingers clawed at his throat in a panic.

“Is it working? He looks like he’s in pain…” Donita watches on doubtfully. 

“Ehhh… I’m pretty sure this will work. I’ve never tested it on a human before.” Zach shrugs. The two jump when Martin lets out a cry of pain, clutching his head in agony. It doesn’t last long however, and he slumps over, passed out.  
“If this kills him, I’ll be very angry with you.” She switches off the controls, and nudges him with her foot.

“Listen, there are a few things you should know. He’s going to be a blank slate when he wakes up, and will be easily influenced for the first few hours he wakes up. You’ll want to make your suggestions then. We can always reset him if we need, but repeated brainwashing might have lasting damage on him.” Zach climbs back on the stool to tinker with the sphere again. “I’ve changed the settings. He should spend some time under the beam once a day to ensure he doesn’t revert. The longer he goes without it the effects may wear off. I’ll work on something more permanent in the meantime… maybe a collar?”

“Oh yes, I’d love to see my new pet in a collar.” She licks her lips, staring at Martin.

“Gross, at least wait until I’ve left.”

“In the meantime, here is the payment owed. An added bonus that you’ll only be dealing with one brother from now on instead of both. In fact, I may lend you the other should you have need of his skills.”

“And I have a gift of goodwill for you as well. I recently came in to some exotic antlers and pelts of some antelope. I have no use for them, so they’re yours if you’d like them.” 

“This has been a very successful deal, Zach.” Donita smiles as she walks Zach to the door. “I have a feeling our fortunes have finally changed.”

“If you train your pet properly, the Green Guy won’t stand a chance. He’d never fight against his brother. It’s an interaction I hope I’ll be there to witness.”


	4. Chapter 4

When Martin opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is Donita. She is sitting next to him as he lays in a plush, four canopy bed. His mind feels so foggy, he’s having trouble remembering how he got here. Or anything else for that matter.

“Good morning, Martino. I’m glad you’re awake. How are you feeling?” She asks, holding his hand in hers and tracing circles with her thumb. The motion helps calm him down. Her voice is gentle and calming and he starts to feel safe here, even if he doesn’t remember where ‘here’ is.

“What happened?” Martin looks around. He doesn’t recognize this room. It’s designed in different shades of maroon and purple, with animal prints and strange sculptures. Is this his bedroom? A very distant memory of a metal turtle and hammocks blinks in to his mind, but fades before he can remember where he had seen it.

“You’re confused. You’ve had some memory loss due to an injury your brother gave you.” Donita sighed. Brother? Right. He had a brother Chris. “He and his team of Wild Kratts attacked you at our last fashion show.”

“Right. A fashion show with Draco Lizards…” He mumbled. In his mind he could see himself posing on the runway. Everyone had loved the outfits Donita designed before Chris had come in and ruined the show. 

“You’ll need to trust me, we’re madly in love with each other and they want to tear us apart. Your brother and his friends know you’ve been hurt and will try to lie to you and sway you to their side. Do not listen to them. You love me and would do anything for me. You’ll never leave me.” She clenched his hand and stared into his eyes.

“No, I would never.” He sat up and rubbed his head. “Why do they want us apart so badly?”

“You and I are famous in the fashion world. We take animals and create beautiful pieces of clothing, and they don’t like that.” When it seemed like Martin was about to get upset, she added: “Animals are beneath us. We don’t care about them and they are ours to use however we like.”

“Okay.” He nodded. Donita couldn’t believe how well this was working. Maybe Zach wasn’t as totally useless as she had thought. She had spent the night whispering in to his ear, about their lives together and her hate towards his brother and the Wild Kratts. It looks like the false memories were successfully blocking out his real ones. “So what do we do now? Should we do something about my brother?”

“Your brother can wait. It’s only a matter of time before he tries to come for you again. For now we can return to planning our summer fashion show.” Donita could have cheered when she heard the vehemence in his voice when he referred to his brother. She stood up and gently laid him back down. She laid a gentle kiss on his forehead, and was startled when he grabbed her roughly and pulled her down on top of him. Martin rolled them over so he had her pinned under him. She groaned when he leaned down and started nibbling and kissing her neck.

“Thank you for saving me from them.” He breathed in her ear. “I’ll make them pay for all the times they ruined your plans.”

He was just leaning in for a kiss when the door banged open and Dabio burst in. The three of them started at each other in shock.

“Dabio! Haven’t you heard of knocking? GET OUT!” She screamed. Dabio looked like a deer in headlights. Martin laughed, which seemed to ease the tension.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but it’s the coordinator for Berlin Fashion Week. They had a cancellation and want to invite you to do a runway show!” Dabio clapped his hands like a little child.

Donita was shocked. She had never participated in such a largescale event. But Martin was in a sensitive state right now. She couldn’t trust the brainwashing to last until she got that collar on him. Her hesitance must have shown on her face because Martin smiled and cupped her face. “You have to say yes. This is an amazing opportunity! I’ll be fine, I can handle my brother.” 

She seriously doubted he could in this state. Instead she would lock him in her mansion until Zach was finished. She really hoped he would be ready in time to model for her at Fashion Week. He would be the centerpiece of the show, and it would definitely rub salt in Chris Kratts wounds to see his brother willingly working for her.

Donita stood up and fluffed her hair regretfully. She was anxious to see where that would have lead, but she couldn’t keep the coordinator waiting.

-

Martin was bored while Donita was away preparing for Fashion Week, which was only a few weeks away. She was forcing him to stay here where it was ‘safe’. He still couldn’t remember a lot from before his injury, so he spent his time familiarizing himself with the layout of the mansion. 

He found Donitas design room, where she created all her masterpieces. There were boxes of animal related supplies, ready to be added on to the clothing. One box was full of twisted horns which gave him anxiety to look at, though why he couldn’t say. There were also some live animals. There was an aviary full of sunbirds, whose red and yellow feathers glistened in the sun pouring in from the window. 

Martin was surprised when he realized how much information about animals he knew. He assumed he must have learned it to help Donita in her fashion designing. 

He picked up a sketch pad and flipped through the pages, looking at all of Donitas animal related designs.

“Is this me?” Martin asked as he looked at one of the pictures. It was the white feather frock she had drawn him modeling. He couldn’t believe how delicate the detail was of each feather, how perfectly she had captured his features. The head bird was a little much but… he wanted to make this dream come true for Donita. He accessed his useless knowledge of animals and thought of all the white birds that inhabited Indonesia, but none would do Donita’s design justice.

The best animal would be the rare White Peacock, found in India. He frowned. He knew Donita would not let him go to India, especially since that was where his brother and his ‘friends’ were probably still looking for him. Zach might be able to round them up, but he’d probably fail like he always did. There was no other option, in order to surprise the love of his life, he’d have to go himself. India was a large country and he doubted they would run in to each other. Besides, he would handle them if he did, he thought as he clenched his fist.

It was their fault that he and Donita had been held apart for so long. He would make Chris and the rest of the group pay the next time he saw them. Martin went to his room and quickly scanned his closet; Donita had supplied him with a brand new designer wardrobe. He dressed quickly, and paused briefly to look at his creature power suit. Zach had done a quick repair on it, and it looked just as good as if Aviva had fixed it. He scowled at the thought. He would never use it to save stupid animals anymore, but it might have use for when he captured the birds. He pulled it on and snuck out of his room as quiet as possible.

-

Martin had talked Dabio into flying him over the ocean, a few countries over in Donitas pink jet. When they landed in India, the two men stepped off the jet and cringed at the heat. It was much more humid than Indonesia had been, and their designer clothes were tight and not very breathable.

“Ugh. Let’s make this a very quick trip. I’ll go round up those birds and you guard the jet.” 

When he was out of Dabios sight, he pulled on his creature power suit and changed into a black panther. He wouldn’t waste his time with an animal that wasn’t strong and powerful. Maybe he would collect a few panthers for Donita. A fashion show where the models walked or rode panthers down the runway would be a hit! But for now he would work on finding the birds. As a black panther, he easily melded in to the shadows of the forest, and after an hour of searching, he was able to surprise a flock of peacocks.  
Using the cat’s reflexes and strong jaws, he lept forward and pounced on a white peacock. With its neck in his mouth he bit down, effectively snapping it and killing the bird. There was no use trying to drag a live bird around the jungle. What was more concerning was the gasp he heard as he dropped the lifeless body from his mouth.

His brother stood across the clearing, obviously shocked at his actions. Panther-Martin, let out a low snarl, and stalked towards his new prey.

“Martin? Oh god, what have you done?” Chris cried out and fell to his knees. His reaction surprised Martin. Even more so, the strange conflicting feelings that surfaced within him at the sight. He didn’t remember much from before Donita Refreshed his memory, only what she wanted him to remember, and he was alright with that. He trusted her completely. But when he looked at his brother, who looked as though he had only just begun healing from a fight he had obviously lost, he felt a strange pull in his chest. He also felt excitement as seeing his brother on his knees, staring up at him. A memory almost surfaced, but it physically hurt when he tried to pull it out.

No, these emotions meant nothing, they were a trick. His fur stood up as he crouched, ready to pounce.


	5. Chapter 5

The alarm went off in the Tortuga, scaring everyone half to death. After sitting around, planning and pacing, the systems were finally able to trace Martin. It had been a long shot hoping Martin would use a creature power, but he must have escaped and was using his suit to help him. 

Even though they had been planning for a week, the team still scrambled around, getting supplies and checking equipment. They had agreed Chris would go on his own, as the use of creature powers would aid him and get him there faster. Unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to use the Tortuga due to Martins location in the thick forests of central India. Finding a landing spot would be almost impossible. The rest of the team would monitor the tracker, and assist Chris however they could from HQ. 

He was finally going to find his brother. Chris winced as he ran, holding on to his cracked ribs. Martin was far, and Chris would need to use his creature powers to help him get there. He knew any transformation was going to be excruciating on his healing body, but desperation and adrenaline would keep him going strong.

Sure enough, as he transformed into a Rhesus Macaques he almost backed out from the pain. As he swung on a branch he had to bite back a howl. He would have to stick to leaping from tree to tree as much as he could. It still hurt, but it was less agonizing than stretching his ribs.

When he finally located his brother, he was sore but so relieved. Of course Martin would be hanging out with a flock of peacocks. He had probably stumbled in to them and got distracted from his escape. He almost laughed out loud. Martin hadn’t seen him yet, so he dropped his creature power and did a quick visual of his brother. He looked unhurt, which was a relief. Chris had stayed awake at night and imagined horrible things happening to him. He smiled and stepped out into the clearing, just as his brother jumped forward and killed one of the birds.

“Martin? Oh god, what have you done?” Chris cried out and fell to his knees. Martin had just killed an innocent animal, especially one that had not threatened him in any way. The way his brothers eyes roved over him, as though he was next on the menu unsettled him. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and afraid. This had to be a trick, there was no way this was his brother. Martin would never do this.

What had Zach done to him? He didn’t have a chance to think long before his brother pounced on him. He was pinned down, the panther’s sharp claws digging in to his chest, piercing the skin.

“Well if it isn’t my dear brother.” Martin growled, showing his sharp canines. “You may have incapacitated me last time, but now you’ll pay for it.”

“What are you talking about!? Zach kidnapped you! I haven’t seen you in weeks!” Chris shoved his brother off of him, but regretted it when the claws ripped his skin on the way out. At this rate, every inch of him was going to be broken and scarred.

“I was warned you would try to lie to me. You’ll never succeed in swaying me away from Donita. We were meant to be together.” Chris was utterly confused by the words coming out of Martins mouth. 

“Martin, I honestly have no idea what is going on. Zach kidnapped you, he killed the blackbucks, and his robots beat the crap out of me! You’ve been gone for weeks and now you’re in a relationship with Donita!? Have I finally lost it?”

“Enough, it’s time to stop you from interfering in our lives anymore.” Martin flexed his claws.

“But I’m your brother…” Chris backed up, but found a tree blocking his path. Martin had lost it and was going to kill him. Zach or Donita had to have brainwashed him somehow, turned him against his brother and their friends.

“I don’t care. I love her.” The tone he used when he said those words broke Chris’ heart. It wasn’t the first time he had heard those words spoken by his brother, but the previous times it had been directed at him. Martin honestly believed he loved Donita. Chris was devastated. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and he started to breath quickly. 

Martin seemed confused by his brother’s reaction. He clutched his head as though he was in pain, but it seemed to pass quickly. 

“Why does it bother you that I’m with Donita, and I love her?” Martin asked, watching his brother wince at his words. “Of course, I remember now.” He smirked, dropping his creature power. He closed the distance between them and pressed his body up against Chris, pinning him to the tree. “We had a very close relationship, didn’t we?”

Chris couldn’t stop the blush from creeping on to his face. The two of them often fought their urges, but it always ended with them giving in. They never spoke much about it though, and having Martin bring it up this way made him feel both embarrassed and incredibly turned on. Martin slid his hands down his brother’s arms, tightening his grip on his wrists he brought his mouth to Chris’ ear.

“You like this, I can tell. We can keep this a secret, just like we always do.” Chris didn’t notice when his wrists were released and Martin’s hands laced through his hair, pulling his head back. He shuddered as his brother leaned in and kissed him, rather forcefully. Chris bunched the fabric of Martins shirt in his hands and pulled him closer. When they broke apart, Martin trailed kisses down his neck before biting the crook of his neck, hard enough to bruise.

Chris was so conflicted, he wanted this so badly. He missed his brother, and was tired of being so alone. But he opened his eyes and peered at the dead peacock over Martins shoulder. He clenched his eyes shut, and with a sob, he pushed his brother away.

“Stop. Whatever Donita has done to you is wrong. She brainwashed you, Martin. This isn’t you!”

Martin stumbled back slightly, surprised. He narrowed his eyes when he realized his brother was rejecting him. It hurt him more than he cared to admit.

“Oh yeah?” He laughed cruelly. “You think I actually care about you? I love Donita, and will stay with her forever. As if you could ever stand up next to her. You’re pathetic.”

“Stop it, Martin.” Chris knew he was saying these things to hurt him. 

“No, this thing between us? It meant nothing to me. Just a way to pass the time, really.” He stepped forward, causing Chris to step back. “And you made it so easy to use you.”

It had to be a lie, Chris told himself. He couldn’t stop the tear that fell down his cheek. He let Martin close him in against the tree again, and hung his head. Martin laughed and went to grab him but Chris struck out as hard as he could against Martins creature power suit.

The cracked suit crackled with electricity that gave both the brothers a jolt. Leave it to Zach to repair the suit improperly. The two of them were flung backwards, Chris into the tree, and Martin to the ground.

“At least you can’t use your power suit for killing and poaching now.” Chris gasped.

Martin saw red. He pushed off the ground and advanced on his brother. He grabbed him by the collar, threw him to the ground, and delivered a hard kick to the ribs. He drew his leg back for another kick but the cry of anguish his brother let out stopped him. Chris had curled in on himself, clutching his sides. 

“Oh god, Chris! I didn’t…. I-“ Martin started before he caught himself. Why did he say that? And why did the sound of his enemy in pain make him feel so sick to his stomach? He took a step back, still staring at his sobbing brother. His head was starting to feel foggy, like it had a few weeks ago when he woke up in bed with Donita sitting next to him. He shook his head to clear it and scowled. He needed to get back to her.

Martin immediately turned away. Without his power suit, he’d have a long walk. At least his brother wasn’t in any state to follow him. As he leaned down to grab the peacock, he chanced a look behind. Chris was staring at him. He looked as though he was broken, and not physically. Another pang of some emotion ran through him, before he walked out of the clearing.


	6. Chapter 6

When Martin returned, he found Donita in her design room. She was artfully placing small gold beads on a vest. When he got closer, he realized they were small golden beetles, probably Golden Tortoise Beetles, held in suspended animation. Their carapaces shone in the sunlight, and created an ethereal glow on her skin. She eyed him critically when she realized he was there. It must have been obvious he had left, and she seemed annoyed. After a quick once over, she ignored him and continued to work on her art.

Martin smiled and walked up behind her. He placed one hand on her shoulder and the other brushed her hair away from her neck. He placed small kisses along her neck and jawline.

“I told you not to leave the mansion, Martino. You’ve been a very naughty boy.” She purred.

“I brought you a gift, you can’t stay mad at me.” He walked to the door and picked up a bag. When he placed it in front of her and she opened it, she couldn’t contain the grin on her face. Martin’s gift to her was 2 dead white peacocks, which he had probably killed himself. She knew it would have killed his old self to have done something like this. He really did believe he loved her.

“I was hoping for diamonds, but I suppose some dead birds will have to do.” She joked. 

“I want you to make this for me, and I will model it in Berlin for you.” He passed her the drawing of himself in the feather frock. She stared at the drawing, and then back at him. She put down the items and stood up. 

“You would willingly model for me?” She placed her hands on his chest. She could feel his heart racing. Had it been that exciting for him to kill the birds and bring them back to her? 

He grabbed her around the waist while she walked him backwards in to the wall. With a passionate kiss, he picked her up and swung them around so she was pinned between him and the wall. Donita wrapped her legs around him and was surprised to feel how hard he was.

“I would do anything for you.” He growled, grinding against her.

She had been so busy planning the last minute fashion show she hadn’t had a lot of free time to spend with Martin. Every time they had tried to do anything, something had come up. This time she was done waiting. As he kissed her, she bunched her hands up in the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer.

Martin initially moaned, but it turned in to more of a grunt as he dropped her, and grabbed his head. Donita was startled as she watched him crumple to the floor, out cold. She gave him a hard poke, but he didn’t respond. She called Dabio in to move him to the bed while she spoke with Zach.

“He screamed, clutching his head and then passed out.” Donita growled in to the phone. “What the hell happened?”

“Did he spend time away from you and the brainwashing beam?” Zach asked knowingly. “I warned you, but no one ever listens to me. Look, he’ll be fine. Just keep him close for a bit while he fully recovers. In the meantime, I’m almost done your collar. Design the actual collar, and I’ll infuse it with the technology needed to keep him binded to you.”

“I have to design it? That sounds rather lazy on your part. I suppose its better this way, I’ll make it high fashion while you? Eh, I don’t even want to picture it.” She shuddered.

“Enough. Look, I need to borrow him when he’s feeling better. I’m building a mote around my mansion, and I want to fill it with crocodiles. Or sting rays. Maybe sharks. Whatever Blue Boy feels like hunting down for me.” He laughed.

“Zach, that is the stupidest idea I have ever heard. But I wold really like Martino to keep poaching and killing. I think it will be really good for him.” She glanced over at his sleeping form. If he got that excited from killing some birds, imagine him poaching some big carnivores...

“It’s not stupid, you’ll see. Send him to me when he’s ready.”

-

It seemed like Martin was continuing on where they left off in his dream. He let out a soft moan that sent tingles down her spine that settled in her belly. Donita grinned, she knew just how to wake him up. She unbuckled his pants and slid them off, gently raking her nails over his thighs. He was still hard from earlier, which was a surprise. She took a few moments to really admire him, naked and helpless. If he only knew, she smirked. Donita grasped his cock in one hand and licked the underside, from the bottom to the tip. He slightly bucked his hips, and mumbled. She leaned forward and swirled her tongue around the tip before swallowing him whole.

Martin’s hands grabbed the sheets and grunted. His eyes fluttered open, but they were unfocused. He still wasn’t fully awake. When he finally came, he cried out. She gagged and spit when she realized it was not her name on his lips. 

She was livid, how dare he utter his brother’s name in her bedroom… She wanted to hit him, to hurt him. Had he run into his brother while he was out? Why else would he dare... Oh. Oh! Donita was shocked by the revelation. These two goody-goodies would resort to incest? It was disgusting… and yet, she could use this against Chris. 

At the moment, however, she was unsure of what to do with Martin. Donita wiped a hand across her mouth and growled. She was left unsatisfied while he dreamed of his brother’s lips around him. Oh yes, Chris would pay. She just needed that damn collar and he would never have these relapses again.

Martin looked as though he had fallen in to a deep sleep. It wasn’t his fault, she told herself. His disgusting past with his brother was over, and she would make sure he forgot all about it. She pushed her anger aside and crawled in to bed with him. She took care of her needs herself before pressing herself against Martin and falling asleep, imagining all the ways she’d make the Wild Kratts pay.

-

Donita woke up to Martin kneeling next to her, with a bouquet of flowers. They were the red roses she had growing around the mansion. She felt some satisfaction knowing he obeyed her by not leaving the property, even if it meant her beautiful bushes had been pruned. He had a bashful smile, and placed a gentle kiss on her brow.

“I’m sorry for last night. I remember trying to start something, but nothing after that. Did I fall asleep?” He asked, his head slightly cocked to the side. The big dummy reminded her of a dog. How can someone stay mad at a dog?

“Yes, and you owe me more than just flowers… especially when I already owned these to begin with.” She sat up and stretched. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling really good. In fact, I’d like to make it up to you right now if I can.” He grinned, crawling on to the bed.

“No, I need to work on my fashion line. It’s a week away and I still have lots to do.” She stood up to go get dressed. Martin pouted on the bed. She sighed and walked back to him. 

“I’ll be gone a few days. You have that much time to come up with an extravagant way to show me you’re sorry.” She gave him a kiss before she returned to getting dressed. 

-

Martin sat on the bed while Donita walked in and out of the room, each time wearing more clothing and makeup. She practically ignored him, and he didn’t blame her. He thought back to his brother, and how Chris had melted under his touch… and then how he pushed him away. Martin wasn’t sure why he had tried to engage him. He didn’t want to cheat on Donita, but he found he couldn’t control himself around the brunette. Even now the rejection still stung him.

And then he returned to the mansion still turned on… and he tried to seduce Donita. God, he had felt so dirty and guilty. Falling asleep on her was the cherry on top. He would really need to prove how sorry he was to her.

“Is there anything I can do while you’re gone?” He asked quietly.

She stopped and looked at him. “Zach may need some assistance catching some animals. Otherwise you are to stay in the mansion. I don’t trust your brother and his friends.” 

"We need to get rid of them or they'll always be a thorn in our side." He scowled. Now he had to be babysat when he left? This was ridiculous. "Look, the Tortuga runs on Tellurium crystals and it can't last long without them. And without the Tortuga they'd be crippled. Let me go, I can sneak in, I know exactly how it works and where they are. Let me do this for you, for us."

"You want to walk in to our enemy’s home? On your own? No, absolutely not." She stalked toward him angrily. “They’re more dangerous than you think. You need to stay away from them, especially your brother.”

“Of course. I’m sorry I brought it up.” He hung his head. 

“We’ll find another way. Just, please, don’t go after them. Dabio will watch over you while I’m gone. You can go with Zach in a few days after you’ve had some rest, alright?” She ran her hand through his hair. She placed a hand under his chin and tilted his head up. After a long, slow kiss, she said goodbye and left.

Martin immediately hopped up and grabbed the phone.

“Hey Zach, it’s Martin. Ready to go?”


	7. Chapter 7

“I didn’t expect you to be well enough to come with me so soon… Are you sure Donita said it was okay?” Zach questioned. He and Martin stood on the viewing platform of Zachs black jet, currently flying over the ocean. To be honest, Martin wasn’t feeling so great, but the brisk, salty air was helping clear his mind. It had been slightly foggy since he had woke up… to be honest, probably since he had seen his brother last.

He couldn’t get Chris out of his mind. He was positive he had done some lasting damage to his brother, and it was really weighing on his conscience. If he could stop the Tortuga, it would stop Chris and maybe he’d never have to deal with him again. He didn’t think he could handle another physical confrontation again. Of course, Donita would be angry he disobeyed her. Martin was positive once she realized he had rid them of the Wild Kratts forever she would forgive him. 

First things first, they had to find the Tortuga. Martin doubted they would have left overnight. Chris probably wasn’t doing well enough to move that fast. Martin ignored the feelings that surfaced with that thought. So back to India they went. Martin was sure wherever a Wild Kratt was, they’d be able to find the Tortuga nearby.

“I feel fine, Zach. In fact, I think I have the perfect creature for your moat. You wanted crocodiles?” Martin smirked at the pale inventor. “There is a really rare species in India, in fact they’re a critically endangered species, and they’re called Gharials. And if that doesn’t peak your interest, they come in all black as well.”

“They sound perfect!” Zach laughed and rubbed his hands together. Martin smiled, knowing that such a critically endangered animal being captured would draw out the Wild Kratts for sure.

-

Once again, Chris had no memory of how he ended up back on the Tortuga. He opened his eyes and found himself in his bedroom. At least he didn’t wake up in the medical room again. He tried to sit up he almost blacked out again from pain. The kick to the ribs must have actually broke something. Breathing was so painful he wanted to cry, only the act would probably end up hurting more.

Oh Martin… He couldn’t really blame his brother. He didn’t mean any of the things he said or did. He couldn’t. Chris had been dreaming about the time they snowboarded across the Canadian tundra, and how they had shown off for each other, or raced to name each animal by their scientific name before the other could. One night they got a little off course and had to spend the night in a cave. The temperatures had dropped really fast but they kept each other warm in front of a fire. Chris’ cheeks warmed at the memory. There was no way Martin would willingly leave him for Donita, of all people. He hoped at least.

Chris gritted his teeth and rolled off the bed. He managed to muffle his grunt of pain as he stood up. At least standing was definitely better. He had to fight the urge to cough and he was feeling dizzy, but he was confident he could go look for Martin again. Smoothing down his hair and wincing from the pain it caused, he tried to make himself more presentable before he walked in to the control room.

“Chris, you’re awake! How are you feeling?” Aviva asked as soon as she noticed him enter the room. Everyone was sitting around the table and had been making plans by the look of it. Papers and tablets were strewn across the table, with a few rolled up maps here and there. The main screen displayed a topographic map of the location he had found Martin in last night.

“I’m sore, but I’ll be alright.” He wheezed a little. He could see the concern in the other’s eyes, but he didn’t have time for it. “What happened?”

“We were going to ask you the same thing. We were monitoring your position through the forest yesterday, when you caught up to Martins location. Suddenly the tracker following Martins creature power suit turned off, or stopped working. Then yours didn’t move for a long time. When we couldn’t get a hold of you, I came out looking.” Aviva explained. “You were passed out on the ground when I found you. I thought you were dead at first.”

“I’m sorry to scare you guys like that.” Chris wiped his forehead. The room was so hot and he just wanted to lay back down. He couldn’t decide whether the agony of laying down was a better option than trying to stay upright in the hot, spinning room.  
“So what happened to you? Did you find Martin?” Koki asked. 

“Yeah, I found Martin… I, uh, think he’s been brainwashed.” Everyone looked stunned. “He was poaching birds when I found him. He went on to tell me how in love with Donita he is, and that he was going to make sure we didn’t get in his way.”

“Donita!? What happened to Zach? And poaching? There is no way Martin would do any of this willingly.” Aviva thought out loud. “What else did he say? Where did he go?”

“He was using his creature powers to hurt the animals, so I broke his vest. He got angry and attacked me, but for a moment it was as though he remembered who he was. He seemed like he was sorry for hurting me. Our Martin is still there somewhere underneath the brainwashing. ”

“Are you alright, Chris? If he attacked you, he could have aggravated your healing injuries.” Koki stood up and walked over to him. “Your breathing sounds laboured, and I think you might have a fever.”

“I’m fine, I swear. We need to find Martin first. He can’t be that far away by now. He’s probably wherever Donita is.” He brushed her hand away from his face. The action caused him to lose his balance slightly and he had to grip the back of a chair to stay upright. 

“Hey man, I don’t think you should be going anywhere right now. You don’t look like you’re doing so well.” Jimmy stood up to hold him upright. 

An alarm blared through the control room, just as Chris was shrugging Jimmy off. Everyone turned to the screen as one of the Wild Kratts kids popped up. Aadhya was a little girl from the state of Uttar Pradesh, which sat below the boarder of Nepal.

“Namaste Wild Kratts.” She placed her hands together and inclined her head. “You requested us Wild Kratts Kids should contact you if we see anything suspicious? I thought you should know I spotted Zach’s jet flying over my city not long ago. It looked like it was headed south-west to Madhya Pradesh.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Aadhya. We’ll go take a look!” Aviva gave the thumbs up.

“Madhya Pradesh? You don’t think he’s headed to the National Chambal Sanctuary?” Chris wondered aloud. “It’s also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary. It protects the critically endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river dolphin.”

“Any animals considered an endangered species will interest Zach.” Koki sighed. “Let’s get over there and check it out. How does that sound, Jimmy?”

“I’m on it!” He said as he headed to the flight deck. Everyone else starts to pack up and gather supplies. Chris bent over to pick up a pack and room started to spin. He lost his balance and cried out in agony as his broken body hit the floor. 

“Chris!” Aviva dropped to the floor next to him. Chris was struggling to breath, as every gasp sent sharp pain throughout his whole body. She checked his temperature with her hand and slicked his sweaty hair back. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“No! No, please. You need to stop Zach first. Remember what he did to the black bucks? We can’t fail again. Please. I’ll be okay, I promise.” He begged. She looked as though she was struggling to make a decision. They were all stretched a little thin at the moment. Martin was gone, Chris was ill, and now Zach was possibly on his way to poach an animal.

“Alright… but you’re staying behind. I mean it Chris! If you go out and die on us, I’ll be really angry with you and Martin will never forgive us!” Aviva threatened him. He tried to smile, but he couldn’t find the drive to do even that. She helped him up and back to his bedroom. He tried to argue that they would need his help, but his body was so exhausted from the pain, he was out cold by the time his head hit the pillow.

-

It was hard work, but Zach and Martin had managed to find and subdue a pair of basking gharials. Martin didn’t bother to tell Zach that these crocodiles don’t eat humans so they wouldn’t make great moat beasts, but they would be the perfect bait to lure out his enemies. The two crocs snarled and rolled in their nets, but the Zachbots were having no problem dragging them towards the jet. Martin took a moment to admire the black, leathery beasts. Their hide would make a great handbag, he thought to himself.   
His thoughts were interrupted as right on cue came the Wild Kratts to save the day... except Martin was surprised and slightly disappointed to hear a female voice instead of a male.

“What do you think you’re doing, Zach!” Aviva yelled as she hopped off her bug-bike. She was dressed in her creature power suit, and trailing behind her were Koki and Jimmy, both dressed in one as well. There was no sign of Chris. Could it be an ambush? The three team members advanced on Zach, who put his hands up in front of him as defence. Martin rolled his eyes and walked out of the shadows.

“Is there a problem?” He asked as he stepped in front of Zach. The three Wild Kratts team members gaped at him in stunned silence. He sneered as he glared back at the rag tag group in front of him. They looked so stupid and defenceless. They hadn’t even activated a creature power, and he would make sure they never got the chance. Martin had originally wanted to sneak off and find the Tortuga, leaving Zach and his robots to do the dirty work, but he couldn’t resist intimidating his enemies. They suddenly all started talking at once.

“Oh Martin!” Koki sobbed. “I had hoped it wasn’t true!”

“You can’t do this, MK. Come back to us!” Jimmy pleaded.

It was Aviva he heard most clearly though. “Chris is in a bad place and he needs you, Martin.”

“He means nothing to me, just like the rest of you.” He snarled. The mention of his brother sent in into a rage. The three of them gasped. He wanted to make them hurt, and since he didn’t have his creature power suit anymore, he was going to use his words. “Do you know how pathetic you all look right now? You think you can put on a cute little pink vest and come stop the bad guys? Go back to the Tortuga and let the men take care of everything.”

“Hey man, Aviva created the creature power suits, she knows exactly what she’s doing!” Jimmy walks up to him and pokes him in the chest.

“And what exactly do you do for the team besides sleep, eat, and consistently fuck things up?” Martin shoves him back hard.

Everyone is angry now. It’s tense as both sides wait to see who makes the first move. The Wild Kratts team hesitate, unsure of attacking a friend. They team loses the draw when Zach orders his Zachbots to descend. Martin backs out of the fray as creature powers are activated, Zachbots fly around, and ghariels get loose. He’s riled up and wants to join in, but he knows he has a mission. His anger seemed to clear his mind, and he set off to find the Tortuga while everyone is distracted.


	8. Chapter 8

It doesn’t take long to find the giant metal turtle. They were never any good at hiding it. Especially when its metal plates shone like a beacon in the midday sun. He crept up to the door, and was delighted to find it unguarded. In fact, the security computer on the door scanned him and opened without a hitch. This was going to be too easy. He still had to be careful though. He knew there was a good possibility of his brother being on board. 

The control room was in standby mode, and all the lights were out. It was quiet except for the gentle hum on the computers. As he walked past the table, he could see documents and maps relating to India. There was even a few photographs mixed in. One was of Donita’s mansion where he was staying. Chris had obviously filled them in to his whereabouts. He grinned, imagining them trying to storm the building. It was something he found himself looking forward to. Donita would crush them like ants.

A quick glance in his brother’s room, and the medical bay for good measure, confirmed he wasn’t here. Martin didn’t realise he had been so tense up until then. He laughed to himself and ran a nervous hand through his hair. What was going on with him? 

He descended the stairs to the lower section of the ship, where the labs and storage rooms were. If there was time, maybe he would raid them for supplies to fix his creature power suit later. He walked past them and in to the room where the power core was located. Again, completely unguarded. With no lights on, the room practically glowed from the power of the tellurium crystals.

There were currently 5 shards of crystal floating in the core. He had a faint memory try to surface… something about snakes? It was gone in the fog before he could think more on it. No matter. It was time to pull the plug. He reached forward and grabbed the largest crystal. As his fingers closed around it, the energy from the beam arced up his arm. Every muscle in his body went rigid and he was thrown back. He landed a few feet away and sat for a moment dazed and confused. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was smoke coming out of his ears. “Well, that was stupid.” Martin chided himself. 

“I’d have to agree.” Someone spoke from behind. When he pulled himself back up, he spied a figure in the doorway. It was Chris, of course, who had indeed been left behind. If it was to guard the Tortuga, he was doing a pretty average job, Martin thought as he gripped the tellurium crystal in his hand. Maybe he wasn’t much of a guard, but twice now Chris had managed to sneak up on him.

Martin didn’t feel ready to deal with his brother again, especially one-on-one. However, when he got a good look at him, he understood why he had been left behind. There was no sugar coating it, Chris looked like shit. He looked pale and weak, and he breathed in short, raspy breaths. He had to clutch the door frame to keep himself upright. It made it a little easier to face him. 

"What's wrong with you?" Martin couldn't stop himself from asking. 

"I think I have a cracked rib." Chris casually replied, as though there was no bad blood between them. He didn't look like he'd be able to cross the room, much less stand on his own. This was more than a cracked rib. He started to cough and looked as though he was in agony. Without thinking, Martin ran to him and held him up. 

"You have an Infection. Why haven't you gotten help?" He felt himself get angry. When Chris pulled his hand away from his mouth and Martin saw blood, he felt slightly panicked. Angry and panicked. He didn’t like this combination of emotions and he couldn't understand why he felt this way. He tried to shake it off but it wouldn't go away. 

"I'll live. I needed to find you first." Chris leaned his forehead against Martins shoulder. “Besides, I’m 90% sure this is a dream.”

Martin was confused. Chris, his enemy, would be willing to die trying to find him? What had happened between them that his brother would be so desperate to get him away from Donita that he would risk dying? And he certainly wasn’t acting like he was trying to steal him away from Donita. Did she not give him the full truth? As he thought about it, the fuzziness in his head returned.

What was life like before Donita? He knew he had travelled around the world with his brother and the Wild Kratts before he met her and they ran away together. He couldn’t really remember any details though, and the more he tried to pull the memories, the worse his head got. A migraine bloomed in his head and he let go of his brother. Chris slid down the wall, while Martin fell to his knees, grasping his head. 

"Martin, what's wrong? What did she do to you..." He wheezed.

Inside Martins head was a lot of confusing memories. He saw himself on adventures with his brother, so happy. He saw himself with Donita, laughing over some animals they had just captured. Which was real and which wasn’t? 

With a sharp intake of breath, Chris pulled him in to an embrace. It obviously caused him a lot of pain to do it, but he held on tight. When Martin looked down at his brother, he saw all the fading bruises and the face laceration that was healing in to a scar. He recalled a Zachbot, and remembered screaming his brother’s name…

"Chris… Oh God, Chris." He had a moment of clarity, even though his headache had become so bad he was pretty sure his head was going to explode. Chris had been attacked by Zach while he was forced to watch. And then Donita… she… Oh no, all the things he had he done... the animals, and Chris! He was broken and it was all Martin’s fault. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

-

Chris tilted his head up and looked into Martins eyes. Was this some sort of fever dream? He had so many dreams like this lately, and every time he woke up to Martin being gone, his heart broke all over again. What was the point in getting up anymore? This Martin felt real though. His eyes were full of concern, and pain, but they were also full of warmth. Brainwashed Martin had a cold, empty stare. 

Martin tilted his chin up and gave him a desperate kiss. It was as though he was trying to erase what he had done, like he was trying to take all the pain away. He was definitely real. But the moment didn’t last long. As if Martin’s brain short circuited, he let out a low groan and collapsed on to Chris. He did his best to not cry out from the weight on his torso, but he failed miserably. 

Now what? Chris wondered. He didn’t have to ponder long, however.

“What the hell is going on in here!?” Zach burst into the room with two Zachbots trailing behind him. Chris wasn’t sure how he had found them, but he presumed that the rest of the Wild Kratts team weren’t doing so well. “Get Martin away from him!”

“Don’t touch him, Zach!” Chris cried as the robots advanced. One of the Zachbots pulled Martin from Chris, dragging him by the collar. It threw him at Zachs feet, who looked angry and panicked. Martin, meanwhile, was like a ragdoll and looked completely dazed. 

“You idiot, you tricked me! You weren’t ready to leave the mansion, and now you’re stuck in between states. Oh God, Donita is going to kill me…” Zach rubbed his hands down his face. 

“Between states? You mean he can actually go back to normal?” Chris tried to pull himself up but couldn’t find the strength. He had just gotten Martin back, and now he was powerless to stop Zach from taking him away again. 

“Yes. I mean no!” Zach automatically answered before realizing his mistake. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll be permanently brainwashed once we collar him.”

“What are you talking about? You can’t do this Zach!” Chris pleaded.

“Enough. There is nothing you can do now, Wild Rat. Next time you see your brother he’ll be ours forever.” Zach snapped his fingers and the Zachbots dragged Martin out of the room. Chris dragged himself along the floor, choking back screams of pain. Zach curled his lip in disgust at the display. “Just give up already. I’d rough you up again but I’m pretty sure it would kill you.”

Zach hooked a foot under his shoulder and flipped him over. He crouched down, leaned over him and tsked. “Without your team, I imagine you’ll probably die on your own anyways. I don’t suppose you want to join the dark side? It’s a pretty fun gig.” He grinned. “No? I suppose not. Well, it was nice knowing you, Green Guy. Zachbots! Take care of the rest of those crystals!”

One of the Zachbots swiped an arm through the beam, seemingly unaffected by the surge of electricity. Chris watched in horror as the crystals flew from the beam and shattered on the floor. Zach laughed as the Tortuga powered down permanently and they were bathed in complete darkness. The Wild Kratts were officially grounded.

As soon as Zach was out of the door, Chris rolled over again and continued to drag himself. He made it to the door, but was completely out of energy. Zach hinted that the team weren’t coming back. He also had Martin again. And without someone to help him, Chris wasn’t sure he was going to make it either. The room was already darkening as he faded in to unconsciousness. He rested his hot forehead against the cool floor, and thanked the gods he was at least passing out in the Tortuga for once.


	9. Chapter 9

Zach was more nervous than he had ever been in his life, and he had a lot of scary moments to choose from. There was the one time he tried his hands at ivory poaching, only to have the park rangers try to mow him down with bullets. There was also the time he helped Gourmond harvest Green Turtle eggs and Greenpeace rammed and sank their boat. Not to mention the countless times the Kratt brothers ruined his plans.

But in this moment, none of the past events seemed all that terrifying. Not when you have to explain to Donita Donata why her pet Kratt was currently in a comatose state, and it’s mostly your fault. 

The designer in question was currently standing at the foot of the chaise lounge chair, staring down at the prone body of Martin Kratt. Zach really wished he had done a better job programming his robots as he watched the unconscious man drooling on the expensive fabric. They had gotten him in to the room and unceremoniously dumped him there. Would Donita have been as angry if they had laid him peacefully in the bed?

“What happened here, Zachary?” She asked calmly without looking at him.

“This looks bad Donita, but it’s not totally my fault. He tricked me!” Zach answered quickly, crossing his arms. As she turned and glared at him, he imagined she was picturing different ways to skin him and incorporate him into one of her designs. “He told me he had the okay from you, alright? Then we ran into the Wild Rats, and he disappeared during the fight.”

“You lost track of him while his brother and their friends were there? They could have kidnapped him!” Donita growled. Martin mumbled in his sleep, so she sat down and swept the hair from his face. She then ran her hand down his back, smoothing out the wrinkles in his designer shirt, and frowning when she found a tear in the fabric from wrestling with the gharials.

"Green Guy… I mean, Chris Kratt wasn’t even there, it was just the rest of them and trust me when say they were not a challenge to deal with.” Zach smirked, obviously proud of himself. He left out the fact that the Zachbots, as usual, took care of everything.  
“If Chrisangelo wasn’t there, it didn’t occur to you that it could be a trap?” 

“Well, no, but things worked out okay anyways! After the fight I came looking for Martin and found him with his brother in the ship. I’m not sure what happened, but Green Guy didn't look so good. Martin was passed out on the floor, I think his brain crossed wires. It was like he was between normal and brainwashed. Either way, I got him out and that should be all that matters. Plus, I also managed to kidnap the others, so there is no one to help Chris. He'll probably die on his own." Zach added, trying to calm the situation down.

With a snap of the fingers, two Zachbots marched Aviva and Koki into the room. They were gagged and their arms were tied behind their back. Donita laughed as she stood up to survey them. Koki stared daggers at her, but the effect was a little diminished by her roughed up appearance. She had obviously put up a fight, and now had a black eye forming for show. Aviva, however, didn’t bother to make eye contact. She was looking over Donitas shoulder at Martin, sad at what she witnessed. 

"There is only two here. Where is the third one? The poorly dressed, scruffy one?" Donita spun on her heel and glared at Zach.

"Oh. Right. He must have gotten away. It doesn't matter, from what I understand he's only the pilot." he said, waving his hand. "Martin and I destroyed their power source and now with the Tortuga down for the count, he's pretty much useless." The two captive girls gasped at the news.

"You idiot! He'll just run back and try to help Chrisangelo…" She balanced one arm on the other and tapped her chin. "This could work in our favour though. Alright Zachary, you’re forgiven, but first you need to wake him up.”

“And these two?” Zach pointed at Koki and Aviva. Donita laughed and pulled out the remote control for the pose beam.

“I’ll need some ushers for my fashion show."

-

Jimmy felt bad that he couldn't help his friends when they were kidnapped by Zach. There wasn't anything he could have done though. At least that’s what he was trying to convince himself.

The three of them had raced to save the animals and were surprised by Martins presence. They didn't expect to see him, especially as an enemy. He had been so awful to them and seemed like he genuinely hated them. It was almost a god-send when he disappeared during the fight. Jimmy didn't think they could have handled fighting him, regardless of how he had acted toward them. 

Thankfully the gharials had gotten free during the scuffle, but Koki and Aviva were captured by the Zachbots. No one seemed to notice him. Maybe Martin hadn't been so far off when he implied he was useless? They didn't even want to kidnap him. 

The girls kicked and screamed but it was no use. Zach dragged them on board his giant jet. He didn't follow them in though. Instead he set out with a few of the bots to find Martin most likely. Jimmy tried to get in to the jet, but it was no use, with the cargo doors closed there was no way in. 

Now he was headed back to the Tortuga. Chris would know what to do. When he got there he discovered the poor girl had been powered down. It was a bad sign and Jimmy couldn't push down the panic as he climbed aboard. Everything was dark and quiet, except for some very angry voices coming from downstairs. 

He ducked in to the shadows just in time for a Zachbot dragging Martin to roll by, followed closely behind by Zach. Martin didn't look so good; he was dazed and limp in the robots grip. What on earth was happening? Wasn’t Evil Martin a friend of Zach’s now? Why would the robots be dragging him away like that?

Jimmy was tempted to follow, but he knew he was very under prepared, and Chris was probably somewhere in here still. Once the coast was clear, he climbed downstairs and in to the power core room where he almost stepped on top of an unconscious Chris. Jimmy yelped and fell backwards.

Chris looked worse than when they had left the Tortuga earlier. His breathing was slow and shallow, and he looked awfully pale. Jimmy momentarily fought with himself. Chris needed help and looked close to death, but Zach had murdered all those animals, and who knew what he would do with Koki and Aviva. 

He had to hold hope that the girls would be okay. Chris would know what to do.

After the last tellurium crystal scare, Kiki had installed a backup power system. It acted like a pilot light and would only hold for a few hours. All the tellurium crystals had been shattered except a very small shard. It would be just enough to get some standby power. Once the Tortuga hummed back to life, he ran down the hall to the storage area. 

They had started a bit of a museum collection of various minerals and metal ores. It started with one of the brothers bringing home a really cool Titanite crystal from an adventure in Pakistan, and it sort of snowballed from there. At first it seemed like a waste of space in Jimmy’s opinion, but he had to admit the collection had been handy over the years. Aviva used some of the samples in her inventions, and Koki often used some of the ores in repairs. The brothers had even been experimenting with various minerals in the diets of animals. 

Today the collection was going to save the Tortuga. He dug through the different boxes and drawers until he found a few lumps of selenium. It was chemically related to tellurium, and would hopefully help keep the ship running until they could find more tellurium crystals. Jimmy shook his head, wondering why whoever designed the ship decided to use one of the rarest forms of fuel.

The problem with this plan was that one element was a metalloid, and the other was a non-metal. Would he ruin the ship completely, as though putting diesel in a gasoline engine? He didn’t have much of an option at this point. It was either ruin the engine now, or have a complete shut-down in a few hours regardless.

The gamble paid off, and the Tortuga chugged back to life. The hum of the engine sounded a little more strained, but it would hold for now. Jimmy was sure there would be consequences to mixing fuel sources, but he would figure it out later. Right now he had to take care of Chris.

Jimmy moved him to Martins room and laid him in the bed as that seemed to be where he had been spending most of his time lately. He was unresponsive, and his fever was really high. The blood on his lips and hand made Jimmy think he had been coughing up blood. It was obvious he had some sort of infection, but they were miles away from the nearest town and Jimmy didn’t want to chance flying the Tortuga in case the selenium gave out and they crashed.

Chris needed antibiotics and bed rest, Jimmy decided, but he could only help with one of those options. He remembered reading an article online about making your own penicillin in the case of an apocalypse, but it took weeks to grow. He dug through the lab in hopes of finding something, but came up empty. Finally, he aimlessly wandered the various rooms of the Tortuga trying to come up with some sort of idea.

It was when he was standing in the brothers’ animal lab that he had an idea. On one of the shelves above an empty fish tank sat different supplies for taking care of aquatic animals. Martin once had a tank of juvenile brook trout he had reared from eggs. They started to show signs of fin rot and had to be given fish mox, a form of penicillin for fish. Eventually they were released back in to the stream they came from, but there was still supplies from the tank laying around, including half a bottle of the fish mox. Chris would kill him if he found out, but he might die if not. 

Jimmy really hoped he wasn’t about to kill his friend, but he hoped for the best and administered a dose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of the science in this chapter (or any of the others for that matter) doesn't make sense, it's because I have no idea what I'm talking about. Google can only tell me so much!


	10. Chapter 10

The next time Chris woke up, he was feeling better than he had in weeks. His torso still hurt, but it was easier to breath. He rolled on to his side and only winced at the pain. In his sleepy haze he pulled his brother closer and breathed in his scent. As far as he was concerned, everything had been a bad dream, and now he and Martin were back together. He vowed he'd never lose him again. As he pulled him even closer, he realized something felt off. Martin was too soft, and he was cooler than usual. His brother always ran hotter than him. 

When he cracked an eye open and saw it was only a pillow his heart sank. He was in Martins bedroom, although how he got there was a mystery. He let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair. He felt so many emotions at once and he couldn’t seem to settle on one. The longer he lay in Martins bed, sadness seemed to win out. When the tears threatened to spill over, he rolled over and yelled into the pillow until he was breathless.

A few more shaky breaths and he rolled out of bed. As much as he wanted to stay in bed for the rest of his life, He had to pull himself together. Everyone needed him.

He might have felt better, but his body still looked pretty rough. He had a large bruise on his ribs and he was a little more thin and pale than usual. As he felt his cheek for the cut, he discovered he had grown a beard without knowing. Chris couldn’t help but smile imagining what Martin would think. 

Thinking about his brother brought back the memory of Martin on his knees, begging for forgiveness. The desperate kiss. And then having to watch him being dragged out by Zach and his Zachbots. What was happening to him? Had he been brainwashed again, or had something even worse happened?

Chris walked out into the control room, heading for his spare creature power suit, when a lump on the table shifted.

“Jimmy!? What on earth happened?” Chris questioned. He had thought the whole team was lost to Donita, so it was a little shocking to see the redhead sleeping at the table. Jimmy looked pretty rough himself. It looked as though he had been sleeping here in his clothes, if he was even sleeping at all. The dark rings under his eyes made Chris doubt it. 

“Oh thank the gods you’re awake, Chris. I wasn’t sure what else I could do.” He leaned back and slumped in his chair. “I thought I was going to lose you too.”

“Lose me too? What happened, did someone-“ Chris panicked, but was cut off by Jimmy. 

“No! No, I’m sorry. I should have worded that different. I meant that everyone else was captured by Zach and Donita.” He sighed and rubbed his face. “I did my best to keep things running on my own, but I’m not sure it was enough. I didn’t want to be useless for once.”

Chris remembered that the tellurium crystals had been shattered, but as he looked around, it seemed like the Tortuga was up and running normally. It must have meant that Jimmy hadn’t been far behind Zach the other night. The ship wouldn’t have survived if that wasn’t the case. It also explained how he ended up in bed and taken care of.

“For once? Hey, you got the Tortuga up and running, and you kept me from dying. I wouldn’t say you were useless.” Chris smiled and sat down at the table. “What’s gotten in to you?”

“Martin… he told me I always fuck things up. I mean, I know I screw up sometimes but-“ Jimmy explained, his voice wavering.

“Stop. Martin, he… he isn’t himself. You know he doesn’t actually think those things. He loves you like a brother, and I do too.” 

Chris had obviously missed quite the reunion between Martin and the rest of the group. His brother was becoming dark under the influence of Donita and Zach. He had killed and poached animals, physically attacked him, and now verbally attacked the group. Chris honestly believed that the conditioning had worn off of Martin when he was in the Tortuga, but he had no doubt that Donita had reversed it once he was back with her. It couldn’t be good for Martin’s head. He had been in so much pain when he broke free from the brainwashing.

“Yeah. I know. I feel the same way about the whole group. We’re a family.” Jimmy gave a sad smile. “I really let them down.”

“We’re going to find them, Jimmy. I promise. Tell me everything you know and we can start planning.”

Jimmy explained how he had saved the ship, as well as his life. Apparently a week had passed, much to Chris’ shock. He felt as though he had wasted so much time sleeping in bed, regardless of how much his body needed it. He did laugh out loud when he heard about how Jimmy had nursed him back to health. 

“As long as I don’t grow gills, I forgive you.” He smiled at the redhead. Then Jimmy slid a brochure across the table.

“This is all I’ve been able to figure out regarding what Donita is up to.” Jimmy pointed to an article inside. It was a brochure for the Berlin Fashion Show, and one of the featured designers was Donita Donata. According to the brochure, she been invited to show on the official catwalk schedule at Berlin Fashion Week to feature her revered collections as a last minute entry.

"This says the Fashion Week has already started. We still have time at least, it looks like her show isn't until tomorrow night." Chris scanned the schedule.

"You’re proposing we ambush her there? Are you sure you want to go up against her, alone, and in such a public area? She'll be better prepared than last time." Jimmy wondered aloud. "This whole plan sounds like de ja vu."

"I'm worried this will be our last chance, that she and Martin will flee to some remote area and we'll never see any of them again." He was holding on to faith that Donita would bring Martin to the show. It was reckless, but he hoped that if he could get close enough for Martin to see him again he would remember. Chris didn't bother to tell Jimmy that there was the possibility that Martin had already been collared and was already permanently lost to them. He wanted to get his brother away from her, even if Martin was collared and would hate him forever. "I have to try, Jimmy. Even if we fail, we have to keep trying until we get them back." 

"Yeah, I understand. The thought of the girls with Zach or Donita really rubs me wrong. But you need a plan. You can't just walk backstage." Jimmy said. 

"But maybe we could? We have creature powers. I could transform into a fly and sneak in."

"Don't forget the Tortuga isn't up to normal capacity. I think there would only be enough juice for one transformation. Are you sure you wouldn't rather transform into a tiger and just maul Donita and Zach?" They shared a laugh over the idea.

"I suppose you're right though, only use it if I absolutely have to. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do once I find everyone." Chris thought out loud. How can you make a plan without knowing all the details? Martin would have scoffed and run head first into the situation. He was more of an on-the-fly sort of planner.

“I want to help in some way, but I’m scared.” Jimmy admitted, pulling Chris from his thoughts.

“It’s okay Jimmy, I am too. You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable doing.” Chris admired Jimmy for wanting to help, but he knew how skittish the redhead could be in high pressure situations. He didn’t even remember a time when Jimmy activated his power suit Aviva had made for him. “You can stay here and monitor the situation as it changes. You can be my eyes and ears.”

Jimmy smiled, appeased. Since they only had one day, the two of them attempted an all-nighter to plan for various situations that could arise. Eventually the two fell asleep in the early morning hours, both exhausted from fighting different and yet similar battles.

-

“Wow, it’s so packed out there!” Martin hugs Donita from behind and kisses her shoulder. “They’re all here to see your beautiful designs. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, that means a lot to me. I have a gift for you.” She pulled out a garment bag from a closet and handed it to him. When he unzipped it, white feathers popped out. “You said you would model it for me, remember?”

Martin isn’t sure why, but the feathered coat makes him feel anxious. He ran his hands through the soft feathers remembering how he had killed the bird, snapping its fragile neck with his teeth. How he kissed his brother and then punished him for rejecting him. He felt himself get angry, and he clenched the fabric in his hands.

“Martino?” Donita placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright? You look like you’re a million miles away.”

He looked back at Donita, feeling guilty. He hadn’t been feeling good all week since his escapade with Zach. She informed him that they had been attacked by his brother and he had been knocked out. Thankfully Zach had been there to rescue him. Since then, his mind was restless. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He replied, pulling out the white feathered coat. “I love it, it’s beautiful.”

-

Donita knew he was barely brainwashed, as Zach had put it. It didn’t seem to take a strong hold like it had last time, and she was positive it was because of Chris Kratt. Throughout the week she had constantly found Martin lost in thought or confused. Once he had even gotten excited when he saw her captive lynx and started prattling off ‘fun facts’ as he called them. 

Zach warned her that he could come back to himself at any time and from any small memory. He urged her to collar him, but she wanted to wait. She knew Chris would show up, and it was time to pay him back for all the times he ruined her plans.

-

Chris crept through the crowd, trying to blend in. He had to do some last minute, very expensive shopping just to wear something inconspicuous. Underneath his long black coat he wore his creature power suit with a pine marten power disc loaded, and a tuft of fur in his pocket. He wasn’t sure if he’d need it, but it would be a good creature power to escape with if he needed to. He also knew that Martin would get a kick out of his animal choice.

A group of ladies he passed chattered compliments to him, and one even asked him what he was doing after the show. Chris thanked them, politely declined and continued on. He had to agree though, he thought he looked pretty good in these clothes but their lack of field functionality and cost just weren’t worth it. He only needed them for tonight hopefully. He had kept his beard too, to be further unrecognisable. The plan could backfire, however. Chris was hoping that if Martin had been re-brainwashed he would recognize him and snap out of it like last time. If he looked too different, he worried it wouldn’t work.

Another lady stepped in front of him and smiled. She wore a simple black dress that Chris was sure was overpriced. When he smiled and tried to step around, the lady stepped back in his path.

“Excuse me.” He tried stepping the other way, only to be blocked again.

“I’m with one of the designers.” She held out her hand for him to shake. “One of our male models just dropped out and we need an emergency replacement. You look about the right size, are you interested?”

“No thanks, I’m looking for a friend.” He shook her hand anyways. The hand immediately turned in to a metal claw and clamped his arm. Zachbots in disguise, great, Chris thought.

“You’re perfect though. I know my designer will be very happy I found you.” She grinned. As she started to drag him away, he pulled at the clamp with all his strength but it would not budge. He sighed, sad that he would have to use his powers so soon. At least he would be able to hide from the other Zachbots that were probably hidden out in the crowd somewhere. He activated his pine marten power and slipped out of the robots grip.

Now that he was so small, the crowded areas were dangerous. He could easily be stepped on. He hopped and zig-zagged between legs over to the seating area along the catwalk. Donitas show had already started.

The current model was wearing an evening gown made from beautiful flowers. Throughout the dress, frozen hummingbirds were artfully posed. The worst part was that the crowd loved it. Chris scowled and shook his head. Did they know what they were clapping for?

The next model walked out on to the stage and Chris almost fainted when he realized it was his brother. Martin was dressed in a long coat covered with delicate feathers, and he moved gracefully down the catwalk. He hated himself for thinking Martin looked good. Chris couldn’t believe that Donita would make him model the feathers of an animal he killed. Martin would be heartbroken when he found out.

It was obvious that he had been re-brainwashed, but at least there was no collar to be seen. Chris sighed in relief. He was so close to his brother now he could reach out and touch him. Except that he was a little weasel right now, and would probably cause a commotion if he jumped up on stage.

Maybe that was just what he needed to do to shut down the show. He knew he would probably be captured, but Martin and the animals deserved to be free. He took a deep breath and jumped out from under the chairs and on to the stage. 

Everyone stopped and stared at the little weasel on stage. Some people laughed, others assumed it was part of the show. He was going to have to put on a show for them. As one of the ushers ran forward to remove him, he hopped backwards, showing his teeth and hissing. For the second time tonight, his heart dropped when he saw that the usher was Koki. She was wearing some sort of headband that had to be controlling her, since she didn’t seem to recognize the little green weasel she was reaching for. Chris silently begged for her forgiveness before ripping in to the flesh on her hand with his teeth. As Koki pulled her hand back in surprise, blood splattered the catwalk and in to the crowd. 

As women in the crowd started to scream, he rolled over and skittered towards Martin. His brother was surprised to say the least and backed away. He was almost there when another hand reached out and grabbed him by the tail. He whipped around and slashed at the hand with his claws. When he was free again, he saw that Martin had retreated back to the catwalk entrance. The show hadn’t been officially stopped, so he took a deep breath and leaped in to the crowd. 

That got everyone moving. He nipped at ankles and jumped on to pant-legs until the audience had mostly dispersed. He flomped down, exhausted. Even though his body was almost healed, he still didn’t have his old energy levels back. He couldn’t even fight back when a bloody hand scruffed him by the neck and carried him backstage.


	11. Chapter 11

As soon as they entered the backroom, all movement stilled. Donita stood next to Martin and she looked livid. Her other henchmen, Dabio and Aviva, stood slightly in front of her, as bodyguards. Zach and a few Zachbots were there as well. The remaining models fleed, as if sensing the ominous atmosphere of the room.

“How dare you ruin my show again!?” She spoke in a low, angry tone. She walked up and took weasel-Chris from Koki and shook him. “I should just squeeze the life out of you now!”

She threw him to the ground, and he let out a little squeak on impact. Thankfully weasels were a little more flexible and hearty than other small animals. Martin took an involuntary step forward, as if the sound of a distressed animal bothered him subconsciously.

“Aviva, turn his power suit off.” Donita snapped her fingers. Aviva, like Koki, wore a headband as well. She stepped forward and pressed the button on his creature power suit to deactivate him. Back in his human form, he looked up at his brother. Martin was looking down at him with a bemused expression. Chris realized he was looking at his beard, or maybe the clothing. He had probably never seen either of the like on Chris. 

“Zachbots, restrain him!” Zach ordered. The robots grabbed him by the arms and lifted him up. This was all too familiar to Martin for some reason. He had anxiety watching his brother in the grip of the robots, and himself next to Zach. Was this just Déjà vu? It wasn’t until he watched Chris struggle against their hold that he started to remember. Everything came back to him as Zach ordered: “Subdue him if you need to.”

“No!” Martin yelled out. He took a step forward, but a metal arm of a Zachbot blocked him. Donita placed her hand on his shoulder and looked up in to his eyes. 

“Just as Zach said, the brainwashing wouldn’t hold anymore in the presence of your brother.” She said sadly. “I have to say, Martino, it’s rather insulting that you’d choose him over me.”

“What are you talking about?” Martin asked, confused by all the sudden thoughts and memories that were slowly coming back to him. Of the times before the brainwashing, and during as well. He stared at the floor, processing everything.

“It’s alright, love. I have a solution for you.” Donita motioned for Dabio to come over. When he did, he carried a small, shallow box. He opened it to reveal a simple collar of black leather. “I wanted your brother to be here to see it when I gave it to you. I wanted him to watch as you choose me over him.”

“Martin, don’t do it! It’s going to permanently brainwash you!” Chris cried out. Donita scowled and ordered Aviva to gag him. 

“Is that true? Do you honestly think I would pick you over my brother?” Martin felt himself getting angry.

“Yes, I do. Because you can choose to stay with me, or be alone for the rest of your life, like me.” She added the last part softly.

What did that mean? Martin glanced at the collar and then back at his brother. The Zachbots let go of Chris, and Aviva and Koki each grasped on to his arms and held him firmly. He pulled against their hold, but the girls were strong. The beams were somehow enhancing their strength. Aviva pulled a knife out and put it to Chris’ neck then pressed the edge hard enough that a trickle of blood ran down. Both brothers went very still.

“You see? You choose wrong, and he dies. The best part is, he’ll die by the hands of his friends.” She laughed.

“Please Donita, no! Don’t hurt Chris!” Martin begged. “I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll wear your collar and stay with you, just please don’t hurt him!”

Donita paused as she considered his words. Chris was trying to talk through his gag, but it was just muffled nonsense. He shook his head and strained against the girls. He couldn’t let Martin do this, he would rather die than see his brother become a mindless slave. His brother, meanwhile, looked determined and resigned. 

“Very well, Martino. You know how I enjoy it when you’re submissive.” She grinned, and prowled towards him. “You’ll be happy and you’ll never have to worry about these losers ever again.”

Chris managed to shake off the gag and cried out for his brother. “Please Martin, don’t do this!”

“I have to, Chris. I’m sorry, but I can’t lose you.” Martin whispered, staring down at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. Zach approached with the leather collar, unbuckling it. Chris let out an anguished sob and thrashed, trying to get free. As Zach buckled the collar on, Martin took a sharp breath. Once it was settled around his neck he let out a groan and fell to his knees, clutching the collar. Only a few seconds passed, but they felt like an eternity to Chris. 

Martin let his arms fall from his neck to his sides. He blinked a few times and then looked up into his brothers eyes. Chris’ heart stuttered when he saw that cold look back in his brother’s eyes. Martin smiled and stood up, standing next to Donita.

“Well Chrisangelo, it looks like I win. Maybe I’ll get Zachary to make up some lovely collars for the girls here as well. They’re made from the hide of the antelope Zach brought me, so I have plenty of supplies left.” She drawled, snuggling against Martin. “Martin is mine and you can’t take him away from me.”

“He’s still in there. He has to be. Martin please, I-I can’t do this without you.” He sobbed, his voice hoarse. 

“He won’t listen to anyone but me. In fact I think I’ll make him my sex slave. I can’t trust him to love me on his own, thanks to you.” She snarled. “Martino, show your brother how much you love me now.”

Martin stepped forward and ran a hand up her neck, and gently pulled her head back by her hair. The other hand slid around to the small of her back and pulled her closer. He leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss. Chris looked away, unable to watch.  
“You see? You can beg all you want, but he’s mine. In fact, my first order will be for him to finish you off. It doesn’t look like there’s much left in you anyways. Get rid of him so he never bothers us again, Martino." She ordered.

Martin stepped forward and took the knife from Avivas hand. The girls let go of Chris as Martin stepped behind him, wrapping one arm across his chest and the other holding the knife at his back. Chris clenched his eyes closed and leaned back in to his brother. This was it, after weeks of struggling, this was how it was going to end. His brother would be a captive for the rest of his life, and who knew what Donita and Zach had planned for the girls. All those animals that they wouldn't be able to save. Chris couldn't stop the tears from falling. He had failed everyone.

It was morbid, but he was actually glad that it would be Martin doing the act. Chris could almost imagine he wasn’t standing in Berlin on a stage. He could smell his brother, feel his strong arms around him again. It had been so long. The night before they were separated they had stayed up most of the night, Martin trying to make him call out his name. It was a game Chris enjoyed playing, even though he usually lost.

He pulled himself from the memory and opened his eyes. He realized he was still whole. A glance up showed Martin struggling internally with the order. 

"Do it already!" Donita yelled. 

Martin pushed the blade in just a little, but stopped when he heard Chris' wimper. 

"I-I can't." He made a move to step back, but Donita blocked him.

"Good grief, let me do it." She grabbed his hand and the knife and pushed. Chris gasped as the knife slid in, and then grunted as she twisted. Martin dropped him and the knife in shock. Donita wiped the blood off her hand and smiled. "Sorry love, but you'll thank me later."

There was a small pool of blood forming beneath Chris, soaking in to his clothes. At least he didn't feel any pain as the shock and adrenaline coursing through him had a numbing effect. He momentarily spared a thought for Jimmy, feeling guilty that he had put in so much effort in to healing him and he goes and gets stabbed. He let out a little laugh that sounded borderline like a sob. To add further salt to the wound, he tried to push himself up but his hand slipped in his blood, and he fell back down.

Donita pulled Martin back, and sighed when she saw the blood on the white feather coat. "That was messier than I imagined it would be. It's okay, I'll make you a new one, with whatever animal you want. Now that the Wild Kratts are out of the way we can do whatever we want!"

Martin couldn't take his eyes off his brother. "Donita, this doesn't feel right." Martin stared down at his bloody hand. 

“This time we're going to stay and make sure he dies, alright Zachary?" Donita ignored Martin and spoke to Zach.

"It shouldn’t be long, I think he's gone into shock already!" Zach laughed. Martin pulled away from Donita and stared at his brother. Chris’ skin was rally pale and he was struggling to move, but Zach was holding him down with a foot on his back. 

Everything was so fuzzy. He was tired of feeling fuzzy. His memories were so confusing, and there didn’t seem to be a timeline that made sense in his head. He had destroyed the Tortuga, been attacked by his brother and then came to the fashion week and assisted in killing Chris. He had also destroyed the Tortuga, kissed his brother, came to fashion week and begged for Chris’ life. 

“Zachary, what’s wrong with him? You said he would blindly follow my every order, and he’s still resisting.” Donita pulled at Martin’s hand. She was beginning to worry that if she didn’t get him away from Chris, he was going to relapse, collar or not.

Before Zach could answer, a red blur jumped on Martin and knocked him down, pulling his hand from hers. A red fox landed on Martins chest and bit down on his neck. He grabbed the animals and pulled, but couldn’t get him loose. It was a kick from Donita that sent the creature flying across the room where it hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. 

Upon further investigation, the fox was nothing more but the missing final member of the Wild Kratts. She couldn’t remember the scruffy boy’s name, but it didn’t matter. He was unconscious, which meant the suit he wore deactivated. Zach could put a headband on him and she would have a lovely trio to do her bidding.

When she turned around, however, she was greeted with the site of Martin kneeling, with a chewed collar in his hands. He stared down at it, and then glanced at his brother, a few feet away. He knew she had tricked him. Martin growled. He charged Donita, but the Zachbots jumped in the way. 

"Dabio, use the pose beam to stop him!" Donita cried. Dabio angled the beam over Martin, but it only slowed him down, like he was wading through molasses. When he managed to break through the beam, he ducked past the zachbots and slammed Donita up against the wall. He held her in place with one hand on her shoulder and pointed the knife to her neck.

"How dare you! You stabbed him anyways, it was all a dirty trick!” His blade hand shook with anger and caused a shallow nick in her skin. “And all those things you made me do! Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now?"

"Don’t be a fool, Martin. I might have made you love me, and I might have forced you to stab your brother, but everything else was your choice." She stared at, daring him to deny it.

Martin reeled at the statement. He had chosen to kill the birds for her, hurt Chris for rejecting him, to poach the gharials, and destroy the Tortuga. But it was all under the influence of love, he told himself. He would never have done those things under normal circumstances if it wasn't for her. 

"No, it's because you brainwashed me." He shook his head.

"And you're telling me that if Chris had asked you to do those things, you wouldn't have done them? Don't act like this was all my fault." She threw his excuse back at him.

"Maybe, I don't know, but what I do know is that he would never ask me to do anything like this." His grip lessened slightly.

"And all I asked was for your love and affection. I love you Martin, I just wanted your company!" Donita pleaded with him. “You think they’ll want you after everything you did? That they’ll trust you, and things will go back to normal? I would never judge you, Martino. You can stay with me and we’ll be happy.”

Martin had a moment of doubt. Would the group forgive him? He had said and done some awful things. In that moment of weakness, Dabio grabbed him from behind and wrestled the knife out of his hand. Donita pushed him off and ran to her henchman. 

“No, I’d never be happy with you, Donita. And I’ll never forgive you for what you did.” Martin growled, narrowing his eyes. “If Chris dies I’ll make sure you pay.”

Donita laughed and started to back away. “You’re threatening me? See how you’ve changed, Martino? Doesn’t violence feel good? I’ll be waiting for you when you realize you don’t belong with them.”

He watched as the two of them escaped out a side door. This wasn’t the way he wanted this to end. He hated to admit it to himself, but violence did feel good. He had wanted to make her hurt after all the things she had done to him and Chris. If it wasn’t for his injured brother, he would have followed behind. That realization scared him.

He turned back to face Zach and the Zachbots. If he couldn’t get revenge on Donita, maybe he could on him. Zach looked nervous, as if he knew Martins intentions. The Zachbots stood in the way, blocking their master from him. Martin refused to be denied revenge a second time and dodged them, tackling the inventor to the ground. Zach cried out in surprise, but before he could command his robots, Martin drew his fist back and hit him as hard as he could across the face. It felt so good he did it two more times before he heard a familiar voice.

“Stop Martin… This isn’t you.” Chris wheezed. With Zach off of him, he managed to get on to his hands and knees. There was a steady flow of blood dripping to the ground though. “Just let him go.”

Martin looked over at his brother and then down at his hands. There was blood on his hands, first from stabbing his brother and now from the blood flowing from Zachs face. He was shocked. What was he doing? Chris was right, this wasn’t him. He jumped off the crying inventor, who curled in to a ball crying.

Chris looked at him with sad eyes. Did he pity him? Martin took a deep breath and went over to him. He was hesitant to touch him. Chris looked like he was in a lot of pain, but also because Martin still felt a lot of anger and hate raging through him. He felt like he would somehow taint his brother if he touched him. Using the creature pod, he called an ambulance, angry at himself for not doing it earlier. He was too focused on getting his revenge. Maybe Donita was right, he had changed and now he was a monster. 

“Zach, you need to release the girls, then you can go crawl under a rock where you belong.” Martin said, without looking away from his brother. He heard whimpering and scuffling behind him, which he interpreted as Zach following his orders. Meanwhile, he cupped his brother’s face with one hand, and placed his other hand on Chris’. “I’m so sorry. For everything.”

“I know. It’s okay, I forgive you for everything.” Chris smiled. 

“You shouldn’t. Lay down and roll over, I need to stop the bleeding.” Chris did as he was told and Martin straddled him and applied pressure to the wound. He was so pale and was shivering. Martin pulled off his coat and laid it on Chris’ legs, frowning when he remembered it was the peacock frock. 

He was too busy attending to his brother he didn’t notice when Zach escaped. The first thing Koki did when she woke up out of her trance was check on Jimmy. Aviva came over and knelt beside Martin.

“Are you okay?” She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“No, not really.” He replied. He didn’t resist when she took over staunching the blood flow. Instead he knelt next to them and watched. 

“We’re glad you’re back, Martin.” Before he could interrupt her, she continued. “Really. I know that some questionable things happened while you were under Donita’s influence, but it was just that. Her influence. You’re back, safe with us again, and that’s all that matters.”

Martin wanted to argue, but the paramedics had arrived. He watched helplessly as they loaded Chris in to the ambulance. One of the paramedics checked Jimmy and declared him alright. They also took a look at Koki’s hand, which was missing some flesh. They stitched her up there, and also declared her to be good.

As he climbed in the back of the ambulance with Chris, he tried to mentally talk himself down, to try to put out the fire of rage burning through him, but it was no use. Until Chris was better and back with him in the Tortuga, he was going to scorch inside.


	12. Chapter 12

The brothers returned to the Tortuga a day later. Although Donita had aimed for the heart, the blade missed it by millimetres. The doctors sewed Chris up, gave him blood and antibiotics and kept him overnight for observation. Chris was mostly unconscious for most of the hospital visit from sheer exhaustion and blood loss. Martin stayed by his bedside the whole time. 

Once home, Chris was immediately put to bed by Jimmy, who mumbled about Chris needing to stop ruining his hard work. Aviva was busy building and repairing new power suits, While Koki looked over the Tortuga engine. The ship was still running on selenium, but Koki announced it would hold for now, provided the next trip was to stock up on Tellurium. 

Martin was left with nothing to do. In fact, he couldn't bring himself to enter the ship. It felt wrong. Everyone was busy cleaning his mistakes while he watched. He turned around and walked a few metres to the nearby canal. They were just on the outskirts of Berlin, and he felt anxious about heading back in to the wilderness.

He sat down on a bench and put his face in his hands. He still felt angry, but sadness was slowly putting out the fire inside. Things would never be the same. Everyone said they forgave him, but he didn’t believe it. And all the pity and sad glances his way were driving him crazy.

He never wanted to repeat his experiences with Donita, but he felt like he shouldn’t stay with the crew. Maybe it was time to retire somewhere where he couldn’t hurt his friends anymore. He had a degree in zoology so he could work in environmental consulting, at a zoo, or maybe even doing some children’s programming. He could just live a normal life, working 9 to 5 and coming home to his family and… ugh. It sounded horrible, just thinking about it.

He wanted to keep going on adventures, meeting new animals and exploring new habitats. He wanted to stay with Chris, and all their friends. Martin wanted everything to stay the same, but he knew it couldn’t.

He wouldn’t put it off any longer. The sooner I got away from everyone, the safer they’d be. He stood up and crept in to the Tortuga. The first stop was to talk to Chris, but he wasn’t in his bedroom. Martin poked a head inside his own room and smiled when he saw Chris laying in his bed, cuddling with his pillow. He slid in behind and wrapped his arms around his brother, careful not to aggravate any of his injuries. 

"I missed you." Chris mumbled, half asleep. He wrapped Martin’s arms closer and sighed. The two of them laid together for a while, enjoying each other’s presence. Finally, though, Martin had to break the silence.

"I know I've said it already, but I'm sorry you went through everything that you did, Chris." Martin mumbled in to his brother’s hair. 

"And I'm sorry you went through everything that you did, Martin." Chris rolled on to his back and gave Martin a sad smile. 

"No, this is all my fault. I couldn't protect you from Zach, whose Zachbots almost killed you. Hell, I couldn't even protect you from myself." Martin propped his head on his hand. "God, Chris, I almost killed you twice. If I had, I don't know what-"

"You didn't, because you stopped yourself. Both times. You still cared, you were still inside." 

"Yeah, exactly. I was still there making those awful choices. Before Donita ran off she told me I was making my own choices the whole time. She gave me orders, but everything else was my ‘freewill’. I'm afraid that she's right. You saw what I did after I really woke up… What if I really am a monster?" Martin spoke very quietly. It was hard to admit your worst fears out loud, even if it was to your brother.

"I know you aren’t because you've never been that way. Think of all the countless animals you've helped save, the charities we helped, and all the countless good things you've done. You were under the influence of Donita. We all know and understand that." Chris gave him a soft smile and laced his hand through Martin’s.

"But-" Martin started, but Chris leaned up and kissed him. He was surprised at first, but returned the kiss with enthusiasm, thankful for the distraction. It was as though they hadn’t been together in months. Suddenly they were both pulling at each other's clothes, desperate to be closer together. Chris’ fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt, only pausing long enough to let his brother pull his shirt off. Martin stopped in his tracks when he saw the bruises along Chris' rib cage. They always say a bruise gets worse looking when it's healing, but it was still hard to look at. He gently traced his fingers down the length. 

"It's okay Martin. I'm okay, I promise." Chris reached up and cupped his face. He didn't realize he was crying until Chris wiped the tears away. Martin felt guilty and embarrassed so he leaned in and trailed kisses along Chris' jawline, and his brother tilted his head back in appreciation. Martin continued down his neckline and was encouraged by the soft moan that escaped his brother. 

One hand snaked its way down between Chris' legs and grasped his cock. He was surprised how hard he already was, especially with his injuries. He rubbed his thumb over the tip, and slowly started stroking. Chris moaned and arched in to the grip, hands gripping the sheets.

"I want you, right now." He panted. As Martin moved his face towards his brother’s lower half, Chris pulled him by the arm back to his face. “No, not right now. I want you inside me.”

"But your injuries..."

"I don’t care, Martin. Just fuck me already." Chris begged. Martin grabbed the lube from the bedside table and slicked his fingers. He hastily prepared his brother and impaled himself in one swift motion. Chris hissed from the burn but made no further indication of pain. Martin trailed kisses along his brother’s chest, giving him time to adjust. He held still inside the tight heat to prevent himself from going over the edge before they even got started.

"Oh god," gasped Chris breathlessly, feeling every inch of Martin enter deep inside him. "Yes," he groaned encouragingly. He was still gasping from the suddenness of being filled when Martin started to move. Martin returned to Chris’ neck once again, kissed, licked and kissed again until he heard a small whimper escape his brother. "All right?" 

“I’m sorry, but we need to change positions.” Chris groaned. In hindsight, having Chris on the bottom with his injured back grinding into the mattress wasn’t the smartest move. Martin rolled him over, and almost went soft looking at the bandages where the stab wound was. This wasn’t going to work either. He pulled himself and his brother in to a kneeling position, and pulled his back against his chest. With one arm wrapped around his abdomen and the other looped under the armpit and clasping his shoulder, Martin started to move again. 

Chris leaned against his brother and lay his head back against his shoulder. They rocked together as the heat built up between them.

“Oh!" Chris cried out breathily, when Martin adjusted his position, causing him to thrust against the sensitive spot. "Faster" he moaned, his pitch sounding more and more desperate. Martin was only too pleased to fuck him harder. He reached around and grasped on to his brothers erection, pumping along with each thrust. Chris made the most delicious sounds, but could no longer speak coherently. Every gasp, moan, and shout encouraged Martin.

His body shook, clenching down around Martin, deep inside him, also teetering over the edge. Together they reached their climax as Martin pumped in short, shuddering thrusts, crying out Chris’ name into the crook of his neck. The two brothers then slumped forward, panting.

When Chris groaned, Martin immediately rolled off. It was then he noticed the bleeding through the bandages. 

“Shit, Chris, you’re bleeding.”

“It was worth it.” Chris grinned. 

“I can’t stop hurting you.” Martin mumbled quietly, ruining the afterglow. “Look… I wanted to tell you earlier, and maybe this isn’t the best timing, but I’m quitting. I think I’ll get a job at a university or something.”

“Martin… you…” Chris let out a shuddering sigh. “You’ve been through a lot. I know you’re working through some stuff, so if you think this will help you, then I’ll support you.” Chris turned away, hanging his feet off the bed. The tone in his voice didn’t match his actions, Martin thought.

“Are you sure?” Martin asked, touched his shoulder. Chris immediately stood up and headed towards the bathroom. 

“Yeah.” His voice sounded hoarse. “I’m going to go clean up and then maybe Aviva can take me back to the hospital to check my injury.”

“I can take you.” Martin followed behind him, pulling his clothes on. 

“No.” Chris looked at him over his shoulder. 

“What’s wrong?” Martin questioned him, placing his hands on his hips. Chris paused at the doorway, as if considering the words. When he finally turned around to face his brother, there were tears in his eyes.

“Everything, Martin. You aren’t the only one going through some stuff. How do you think the girls feel, having been the ones to bring me to Donita, and hold me against their wills? They couldn't even help when I was bleeding out on the floor.” He shoved his brother. “And what about me? I fought so hard to get you back that I almost died! And now you just want to leave me? Don’t I get a say?”

Martin stumbled backwards, shocked. He knew his brother was hurt physically, but not mentally. He had acted so happy and supportive around Martin since they were back together. Martin was too busy dealing with his demons, he didn’t give a thought to the fact Chris might have gained some of his own as well. He hadn't even give a thought about the girls either...

“I-I’m sorry, I thought it would help you if I left.” Martin stepped forward again. “You’re this way because of me.”

“No, I’m this way because of Donita. You’re this way because of her too. She’s still in your head!” Chris yelled. The two brothers stared at each other. Martin looked away first, reaching up and rubbing his neck where the collar sat. Chris sighed and stepped forward to close the distance between them.

“Stay with me, Martin. I need you here with me. Let’s go through some stuff together.” Chris nuzzled his brother’s neck. “You’d never hurt me, I know you won’t, I trust you.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere without you.” Martin shivered. “I’ll never leave you, I promise. I wanted to escape all the problems, to make it all better instantly. But I guess it's going to take time, and it will be better if we can all heal together. It's going to take a while for things to feel normal again. She's still out there. So is Zach.”

"Don't think about her right now. I think she'll be licking her wounds for a while. We'll figure it out, okay? We won't let her take you away from us, ever again." He looked in to Martin's eyes.

"Yeah. And ditto for you. I'll never let her hurt you again." Martin momentarily gave in to the anger still simmering inside him, but his brother distracted him with a kiss. Chris smiled and pulled him back to the bed by his hand. Martin laid down, and Chris climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. He looked exhausted but also ready for round two. Martin laughed and pulled him off him and on to the bed beside him.

“Come on, you ruined the moment earlier. You owe me.” Chris pouted, nuzzling his brother’s neck. Martin laughed from his brother’s beard tickling him.

“First we need to get you sewn back up. Then we need to shave that off.” He ran a hand through the coarse hairs. “Maybe after that, I can make some room in my schedule to fool around.”

“You don’t like the beard? Is it too manly? Perhaps I should be on top then.” He grinned. Martin grinned back. It looked like his brother was in one of his insatiable moods. 

“Fine. One more time, then hospital, okay?” 

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! All done! I hope you enjoyed it.I wasn't sure how to end it, so I just put some smut in there :) Just ignore any loose threads or plot holes and enjoy seeing the brothers get it on. Thanks for reading!


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